Bottle stopper



May 2, 1944. v A. MOELLER BOTTLE STOPPER Filed Jan. 23, 1942 INVENTORAXEL MOELLER Patented May 2, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOTTLEs'rorrna Axel Mocller, Racine, Wis. Application January 23, 1942, SerialNo. 427,873

2 Claims. (01. 215-53) This invention appertains to bottle stoppers ofthe type shown in my pending applications Serial Nos. 283,524 and407,270, filed July 10, 1939, and August 18, 1941, respectively, nowPatent No. 2,292,149, dated August 4, 1942, and Patent No. 2,315,538,dated April 6, 1943, respectively.

These stoppers are of the expansible character and include upper andlower cone members having confined therebetween a rubber compressiblebody. The lower cone member has fixed centrally thereto a threaded stemon which is adjustably mounted a brass sleeve. This sleeve extendsslidably through the top cone member and has rockably connected thereto,by means of a rivet, a cam lever. Initial adjustment of the stopper ishad by turning the sleeve up or down on the stem, and final adjustmentis had by swinging the cam lever down, to a locked position. Theinternally threaded sleeves and the rivets are expensive and assembly issomewhat difficult. At the present time, the internally threaded sleevesand even the rivets are hard or impossible to obtain.

It is, therefore, one of the primary objects of my invention to providean economical means for forming the sleeves and for connecting the sameto the cam levers, whereby not only Will an inexpensive structure behad, but also an efficient one.

Another salient object of my invention is to provide novel means forformingthe sleeves from flat scrap metal stock, which consists in,first, stamping the flat metal into the desired shape, and then bendingthe same into a tube, and, finally, internally threading the same.

A further object of my invention is the provision of means for formingears or pintles on the flat metal stock and then bending the ears orpintles at right angles to the formed sleeve for providing the pivotalsupport for the cam lever.

A further important object of my invention is the provision of means forslightly rounding the ears or pintles after the bending thereof, so thatthe same will provide a rounded bearing face for the walls of theopenings in the cam lever, so that the lever will have the desired truelocking action.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel construction, arrangement, and formation of parts, as will behereinafter more specifically described, claimed, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing my complete stopperconstructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a central, longitudinal, sectional view through the stopper,taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of thearrows.

Figure 3 is a top plan view showing the first step in forming thesleeve, the view showing the blank cut from the fiat piece of scrapmetal.

Figure 4 is an edge view thereof.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3, and i1- lustrating the firststep in bending the blank to form the sleeve.

Figure 6 is an end elevational view showing the blank after the firstbending operation.

Figure '7 is a view similar to Figure 5, and illustrating the secondstep in bending the blank to form the sleeve.

Figure 8 is an end elevational view showing the blank after the secondbending operation.

Figure 9 is an elevational view showing the last and final step ofbending the blank to form the sleeve.

Figure 10 is an end elevational view of the formed sleeve.

Figure 11 is an elevational view, partly in sec tion, showing the sleeveafter the final steps of bending and forming the ears or pintles andinternally threading the sleeve.

Figure 12 is a top plan view of the completed sleeve, showing the bentears or pintles and the form thereof.

Referringto the drawing in detail, wherein similar reference charactersdesignate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter Sgenerally indicates my improved stopper, and the same includes a bottomcone plate l5 and a top cone plate I 6. Confined between the cone platesl5 and I 6 is the compressible body member 11, which can be formed fromrubber or similar material. Fitted on the top cone plate 16 is apressure plate I8. The lower cone plate l5 has fixed centrally thereto athreaded stem l9, which extends into the compressible body l1, and hasthreaded thereon an adjustable sleeve 20. This sleeve slidably extendsthrough the top cone member I 6 and the pressure plate l8. Formed on theopposite sides of the sleeve 20 are laterally extending bearing ears 2|,and these ears or pintles form means for rockably connecting the camlever 22 to the sleeve. The cam lever 22 is also preferably stamped froma singlepiece of metal and includes side flanges 23. These side flanges23 have formed therein transversely alinedbearing openings 24, whichreceive the pivot ears or pintles 2i As explained in the objects of theinvention,

'2 the salient feature of the invention is the provision oi. the novelmeans for forming the sleeve 20 and for connecting the sleeve with thecam lever.

In accordance with this invention, the sleeve is formed from a flatblank of sheet metal 25 of the desired gauge. This 'blank 25 can be cutor stamped from small pieces or scrap metal, and the blank includes asubstantially rectangularshaped body portion 26 having formed on one endthereof the ears 2|. These ears 2| are arranged in parallel relationbefore the blank is bent.

After the blank has been stamped into the desired form, as showninFigure 3, the same is initially bent into an arcuate shape in crosssection, as is clearly shown in Figures 5 and 6. After the initialbending, theblank is then fur ther rolled or bent into a further arcuateform. as is clearly shown in Figures '1 and 8. As illustrated in thesetwo figures, the blank, in end elevation, then takes the form ofsubstantially three-fourths of a circle. operation, the blank is thenfurther bent. and rolled, so as to bring the longitudinal edges of thebody portion 28 into intimate contact, as is clearly shown in Figures 9and 10. An elongated tube or sleeve is thus formed, and the ears 2| lieon opposite sides of the sleeve.

These sleeves are then placed in a suitable jig, and the ears 2| arebent downwardly at right angles to the body portion of the sleeve, sothat the ears will project laterally from the opposite sides of thesleeve. This is clearly shown in Figure 11. After the ears are bent, thejig is turned over, and the sleeves are tapped to provide internalthreads 21.

It is highly desirable that the ears 2| be formed so that they will beof an arcuate shape in cross section, and that the are be scribed thesame as the walls of the openings 24 in the cam After this bendinglever. Thus, in accordance with my invention, the ears 2| are struck bya suitable die, so as to bend the same transversely into an arc of acircle.

In assembling the stopper, the side flanges 23 o! the cam lever 22 aredisposed in diverging re lation, so that the ears 2| can be readilyslipped into the openings 24, after which the flanges 23 are broughttoward one another into parallel re- I pivot means for the cam lever 22is formed directly on the sleeve, I can, where necessary, connect thecam lever and the sleeve together by means 01 a rivet, such as is shownin my mentioned pending applications.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or thescope of my inven-- tion, but what I claim as new is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a combined nut and pivot forexpansible bottle stoppers comprising an elongated internally threadedsheet metal sleeve and laterally extending pivot pintles formed on oneend of the sleeve arranged at right angles to the opposite sidesthereof.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a combined nut andv pivot forexpansible bottle stoppers comprising an elongated internally threadedsheet metal sleeve and laterally extending pivot pintles formed on oneend of the sleeve arranged at right angles to the opposite sidesthereof, said pivot pintles being curved transversely.

. AXEL MOELLER.

